September 9, 2017

Manna

“And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.  And Moses said, ‘This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.’  And Moses said unto Aaron, ‘Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.’  As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony to be kept.”  Ex. 16:31-34 

The word manna means “what is it?” in Hebrew.  It was provided daily by God for the Israelites, as food for the journey.  Any manna that was left on the ground overnight was found rotted and uneatable the next day.  And so it became the daily bread for the people.

Upon entering the Promised Land of Canaan, there was no longer any provision of manna.  The wilderness journey had ended; the sojourners were home.  We find that when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to the Temple of Solomon, the golden pot of manna was no longer included.  The journey had ended; the Ark had found its home.

Jesus declares that He is the Bread of Life in John 6:35. He formulates a powerfully convincing position in verses 25-51, which can be summarized below:

Ø  The followers had come for more food;

Ø  Jesus explains HE is the real food – believe (v.29);

Ø  Jesus is the fulfillment of manna in wilderness  - refer to Ex. 16:15 (v. 31);

Ø  Jesus is Living Bread - eat of His flesh and have eternal life (v. 48-51).